Ever As Before
by ficusmarie
Summary: It always starts with a girl and a boy. Her name is Melissa. His name is Sirius. They’re the best of friends. What else is there to it? Enjoy!
1. Just Them Two

**Ever As Before**

**By HoMeSlIcE4LiFe**

_**Summary: It always starts with a girl and a boy. Her name is Melissa. His name is Sirius. They're the best of friends. What else is there to it? **_

_A/N Hey everyone! I was sitting in my room, thinking of Mary Sues and that led to me thinking of all the Mary Sues that Sirius falls in love with. They either hate him, are the female version of him, are a nerdy type, or they're the ones that "change" him. Well, I do enjoy those stories, but I thought I'd try something different. Also, the POVs change in this, and whose it is will be indicated by italics and underlining. So, I would love some feedback on this story, because I'm trying to change it up a bit. I hope you all enjoy and end up refreshed by the end of this fic. Thank you! _

_Disclaimer for whole story: I don't own anything except the plot and some O.C.s!_

**Chapter One: Just Them Two**

Sirius Black was hiding in the spare closet from the house elf, Kreacher. At six years old, the wrinkly, short-tempered house elf was rather frightening, not that Sirius would admit that to anyone. He could hear Kreacher mumbling to himself as he passed the closet. Once the mumbling was hardly hearable, Sirius slowly opened the door and peaked out.

He was a skinny child, with hardly any fat on him. His hair was knotted, and his hands and face were dirty. His silver eyes danced in the excitement that he was feeling, and his lips were in a wide smile. He silently left the closet, and used his long legs to run as fast as he could out of the Grimmauld Place to the first place he thought of, the park.

The park was his sanctuary. His parents never cared where he went anymore. They had gained a strong dislike for the boy. His parents let him come here whenever since it was not too far from home, and he loved it here, so both parties were happy. At the park, there was a merry go round that was Sirius's favorite. He would grab onto the bar and run around as fast as he could around it, then, when he had run his hardest, he would jump onto the merry go round until it came to a complete stop. He would then start all over, again.

But today was different. Today, somebody else was on his merry go round. He stomped up to the merry go round and looked the other child in the eyes. "You're on my merry go round," he said stubbornly.

The child was a chubby little girl. She had a round face, cute smile, blue eyes, and bright blond hair. Her short, pudgy legs stuck out of shorts, and her Beatles t-shirt was so big that it covered most of her shorts. She frowned at Sirius, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I've never been to this park before."

Sirius decided that he liked the girl better when she smiled. "S' okay," he said. "Where's your Mum and Dad?"

She shrugged. "D' know. I live with my Auntie. She's back home. She's baking cookies," she finished with a toothless smile.

Sirius grinned. "I love cookies."

"So," said the girl, swinging her legs from the merry go round, "What's your name?"

"Sirius Black," he said with a grin. "You?"

"Melissa Turk," she said. "Are you a wizard?" Sirius nodded. "My Auntie says that I'm going to be a witch. She is, but my mum and dad weren't. I really hope I will.

Sirius smiled. "Me too." He looked at the merry go round. "Do you want me to push you?"

Melissa gave a happy nod. Sirius grabbed the bar in front of him and began to run as fast as he could. The wind rushed through his hair, and his feet kicked up sand. He ran as fast as he could (trying to show off), and finally jumped on with her. They smiled at each other, and began laughing like maniacs. They were two happy kids.

Once the merry go round came to a complete stop, the two children stared at each other for a moment. "Do you want to come to my house for cookies?" asked Melissa.

Sirius didn't need to think. "Yes!"

_Ten Years Later…_

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"For Merlin's sake, Siri, STOP!" yelled Melissa angrily as she sat down on her bed. Melissa had grown over the years. She was only five foot, two inches. Her bright hair had become a rather brownish-blonde (much to her disappointment). She was big-boned, and actually had very little fat on her. She was mostly muscle due to her obsession with her health. She developed curves, including rather large breasts (also to her extreme disappointment), and her face was still round, although her high cheekbones slimmed down her cheeks a bit. She now had all of her teeth and rectangular brown glasses that framed her eyes nicely. Her clear complexion kept her cheeks a rosy red, especially when she was angry like this.

"Oh, come on Melly, what's with you? You normally love to throw parties!" he cried, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah? Well, I don't want to this weekend, okay?" she huffed.

Sirius looked at her a moment. He had gotten much taller and was now almost six feet tall. His hair was still curly, but less knotty. His face and body were still thin, but had begun to fill him out. He was also rather muscular, because he joined in with the work out Melissa did. His smile was almost always on his face and his eyes looked exactly the same as they did ten years ago. "Is it that time of the month? You know that you're supposed to give me a head's up! But, then again, that was only two weeks ago…"

She threw a pillow at Sirius head. "No! How come you always assume that?"

"How else can you be angry with me?" he asked innocently, exaggeratedly batting his eyelashes.

She looked at him grumpily. "This weekend was supposed to be relaxing. It's right before school starts and…"

"You don't think that a party is relaxing?" he asked.

"No, it's hectic planning the thing. Then, it's loud, and you have to play host, and provide food, and…"

"Okay, okay. We don't need a party," he conceded.

She smiled. "Thank you. Now, how about instead, you and I have a sleepover, watch childish Disney movies, and eat junk food? What do you think?" she asked.

Sirius pounced on her with a huge hug. "I knew there was a reason that you were my best friend," he laughed.

"Right back at you, Siri," she said with a grin.

Sirius pulled away and looked at Melissa's Muggle clock. "Okay, best bud, but I got to go on over to Jamie's. Boys night out tonight," he said with a grin.

Melissa stuck out her bottom lip. "I practically count, right?"

Sirius snorted. "Well," he said, "last time I checked you have boobs and girly thing. If you didn't have boobs, we might've let you slide, but seeing as you very clearly do… No, you do not count. Sorry, Melly, but you'll just have to see me on Saturday morning."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning back on the bed. "Fine. Tell the boys I say hi."

"Will do, mate," he said and disappeared with pop.

_A/N 2 So, what did you all think? Please let me know! I love constructive criticism and if you have any ideas, feel free to share them with me! I can't wait to see how this story turns out and I am so happy that you all are enjoying this!_

_Love,_

_Alex_


	2. Accusations

**Ever As Before**

**By HoMeSlIcE4LiFe**

_**Summary: It always starts with a girl and a boy. Her name is Melissa. His name is Sirius. They're the best of friends. What else is there to it? **_

_A/N So, I only got one review… :-( Muchos Gracias to Noriko Takahara for the review! The sad think is that there were a lot more hits. Please review, guys! Even if you don't have an opinion be like, "Hey, your story doesn't give me an opinion," just so I know to make it more opinion worthy! Well, here's Chapter Two! I hope you end up liking it! Love!_

**Chapter Two: Accusations**

The four Marauders were sitting in the Leaky Cauldron, slowly drinking their fire whiskies, and discussing a variety of things… Mainly girls.

James's mind consisted of the fabulous Lily Evans, which he voiced openly. "I can't wait to see her! We should sit with her on the train. Do you think she'd mind? I mean, I'm head, she's head… So, we have to learn to bare each other, right? Well, I can bare her, but she has to bare me, right? Right? Maybe she'll even offer for us to--"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, Prongs, shut the hell up!" yelled Remus, cutting off his rambling.

"Aw, Moony, he's just excited. Let's not get angry now," cooed Sirius, his arm now around James.

James smiled, "Yeah, Moony. Just because you don't have a girl..."

Remus laughed. "You mean that non-existent girl that I am madly in love with?" he asked.

James, Sirius, and Peter nodded. "Exactly," they said.

Remus rolled his eyes. "What about you, Padfoot?" he said, "You haven't a girlfriend, let alone a fancy, in…oh, never!"

It was now Sirius's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm sorry that I just haven't found a woman that I like yet, Moony. I don't normally think that you should just throw love away…"

James stared at his best friend. "You sound like a chick mate… I think you've been hanging around Melissa too much," he sighed. Suddenly, a thought hit him. "Hey! What about Melissa? You two are already ridiculously close…"

"That might be because she's been my best friend since we were six years old!" interrupted Sirius.

"Technicalities," sighed Remus. "The fact of the matter is, either open up to some other chicks, or go with her. You're basically dating now…"

"Minus the snogging," added Peter.

Sirius just rolled his eyes once more. "I don't know what is with you guys. I thought that we dropped that idea in third year. I have told you a million times, I just don't think of Melly that way. Never have. Never will. Now, let's just drop it, mates, aye?"

The other three boys sighed. "You're being ignorant, Padfoot," said Remus.

"And ignorance is bliss, Mr. Moony," said Sirius, chugging the last bit of his butterbeer. "Now, let's discuss this back to year prank…"

OoOoO

"Melissa? What are you doing here?" asked Lily as the door to Privet Drive opened.

Melissa shrugged. "I'm bored. You want to go out? Get some pizza?" she asked.

Lily grinned. "You have no idea how much I would. I needed an excuse and now I have one. Hold on just a sec."

A minute later, Lily returned with her jacket. In answer to Melissa's questioning look, Lily said, "Petunia got engaged a couple days ago, and already she's becoming the bride from hell. She's picking out my maid-of-honor dress and the color is just…horrid."

Melissa laughed. "Really? What is it?" she asked.

"Salmon," spat Lily as her face crunched up in disgust.

"Eeeeewww!" cried Melissa. "That completely clashes with your skin tone, and hair, for that matter."

Lily nodded slowly and sadly. "I know. I just keep telling myself that it's only for one evening… Then I can just burn it," she laughed.

Melissa laughed along with her. "I will gladly help you with it. When is this wedding?" she asked as the two of them began walking along the sidewalk. It was a chilly evening, so the two of them held on tight to their jackets. For extra warmth, they laced their arms through the others' and hurried along.

"Next summer. July 15th to be exact. She says she wants it to be in the dead center of the year," said Lily with a snort.

Melissa paused and looked at Lily. "Wouldn't that be June 15th, then?" asked Melissa.

"Exactly," she said. The two started to laugh, again, and didn't stop until they reached the pizza place. They stepped inside and stripped off the jackets they were wearing, placing them on a coat rack. They took a seat next to each other and continued to chat.

"What can I get you two…Melissa? Lily?"

Melissa and Lily turned to look at their server. "Mark?" asked Melissa, looking at him. He was Marcus Lissering, a Hufflepuff, and fellow Hogwarts student. Well, he was, anyway. Mark was an old neighbor 

of hers that had graduated two years prior. He was tall and thin, though he wasn't muscular. He had brown hair that he had spiked in every direction. Each time he smiled, dimples shown in the center of his cheeks.

"Hey girls! How've the two of you been?" he asked, grinning widely.

They smiled back. "Great," said Lily, "You? Why you working here?"

"Well, my job starts next week. I'm actually a teacher at Hogwarts. I'm doing Defense. But, I wanted a little bit of extra cash this summer. So, I'm here," he explained.

"Wow," said Melissa, "That's really cool. You must be excited."

"Yeah. So how's it going with the two of you? Any lucky guys?" he asked, smirking.

Lily choked back a laugh. "Well, if you mean the arrogant Potter, and Melissa's fictional boyfriends, then yes, we've had some lucky guys…"

"I'm guessing that that was sarcasm?" he said, laughing.

"You would be correct," laughed Melissa.

"I just find that weird. Well, I understand Lily. I know James is probably threatening half the school, but you, Melissa? I thought you'd have a couple by now, at least," he said.

Melissa sadly shook her head. "Nope. Nada. I don't like any of them anyways…" she finished.

"Really?" he asked, shocked. "What about Black? You know, Sirius Black?"

Lily smiled. "I've been telling her that for years."

"I've said this many times. We're just best friends. That's all," said Melissa, sighing.

Mark smiled. "Alright. We'll just see then, shall we?"

"We shall," nodded Melissa.

With one final laugh, he asked the question he had been meaning to in the first place. "So, ladies, what can I get you?"

_A/N 2 Alrighty, school is coming up! Whaaaat's gonna happen? Honestly, I don't even know yet_ ;-) _Let me know what you all think! Please review! Thanks for reading! Love!_

_- Alex_


	3. Fun

**Ever As Before**

**By HoMeSlIcE4LiFe**

_**Summary: It always starts with a girl and a boy. Her name is Melissa. His name is Sirius. They're the best of friends. What else is there to it? **_

_A/N Alrighty, so there were THREE reviews this time! I'd say that we were improving! Well, guys, I just say thanks to those of you who read this and are still reading it! You all rock! And, without further ado…_

**Chapter Three: Fun**

"Come on, Sirius! I'll start the movie without you!" yelled Melissa from the living room's couch.

Sirius turned, once more, panicked, to the metal box that was causing him distress. He took a deep breath, and then began again. He put the popcorn bag in the bowl and placed it inside of the annoying metal heating box. He scanned it and found a button that read: POPCORN. He pressed it, and jumped back in surprise when it turned on. He looked at the box triumphantly. He had beaten it. He did a little happy dance.

However, an explosion from the box interrupted this dance. Sirius flung himself to the ground and looked up at the box, where a small fire was taking place inside of it. Melissa came running into the room. "What the hell did you do?" she cried.

"I…I just…I…" Sirius couldn't believe it. The evil box had won.

"Mother of Merlin! Sirius, you put the popcorn in the bowl after! This bowl was metal!"

Sirius looked at her, his eyebrow furrowed and lips pushed together. "And that means…?"

Melissa sighed. "Metal in the microwave equals…THIS!"

Sirius nodded. "Got it. Won't happen again m' am," he said with a salute.

Melissa looked at him, and then burst out laughing.

OoOoO

"Melly, come on! We got to hurry to the train! It's 10:57!" whined Sirius.

She gave him an exasperated look. "It's a good thing we're on it then, eh?" she said.

He shrugged. "I guess."

Currently, the two of them were the only ones inside of the compartment. And, for some reason, when the train left, they were _still_ the only two in there. An hour later, they began to grow slightly worried. Where were their friends?

That was when the door burst open and in stepped Lily, James, Remus, and Peter. "Bout bloody time," said Sirius, "Where the hell have you four been?"

"Sorry, mate," said James, "I barely made the train and I had to go up for the Head's meeting."

"Me too," said Lily.

"I had to go for the meeting as well," said Remus, "I wanted to talk to the new 7th year prefect that's replacing Lily. You know, welcome her to the force."

Peter glanced around. "I got lost," he admitted.

"Wormtail, we've been using this train for the past six years! How do you still get lost?" asked Sirius.

Peter just shrugged.

OoOoO

Melissa flung herself on the couch and let out a large sigh. "It's great to be back…"

Sirius smiled and sat atop her legs and stretched out on top of her. "Yep. It sure is."

"Sirius, I would suggest that you get off of me," said Melissa, slightly irritated.

He turned his head to look at her. "Sorry, didn't see you there," he said, smiling.

"Well, now you do. So get off," she said.

Sirius began wiggling all over, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Am I really on top of you? Am I in your way?" he said laughing.

Surprisingly enough, this tickled Melissa. "Stop it! Siri! Stop it!" she cried.

"Merlin, get a room you two," said James, sitting calmly on the couch, joined by Remus and Peter.

Sirius immediately got up. Melissa sat up, leaving room for him, and the two now sat on opposite sides of the couch. This was when Lily walked up with Dee, Melissa and Lily's roommate and friend. The two of them sat on the empty seats on the couch between Melissa and Sirius.

Dee was extremely tall, and a thin body. Her hair was a dark brown (almost black), and her eyes were always changing. She had rather tan skin and a sultry voice. She was Spanish and, though she had no clue how to speak it, she had a perfect accent. She was also the new Gryffindor prefect.

"I'm so glad to be back here. My mother spent all summer trying to hook me up with some sweet Catholic Spanish boy who would help me become more 'cultural'. Ha! It was ridiculous. He was like thirty!" cried Dee.

Remus smiled. "Your mum really doesn't like me, does she?" he asked.

Dee laughed. "No, she doesn't. It's okay, though. When's school lets out, we'll just run away together. We'll go to America and pretend to be farmers," she finished with a wink.

"My life's dream," said Remus, clutching his heart, and smiling widely.

"That why I love you," she said, blowing him a kiss.

He caught it, and stuffed it in his pocket.

Their friends watched what had just passed in front of them. "When did this happen? Moony, I thought you didn't have a fancy. Then, all of a sudden, two days before school starts, this happened," commented Peter.

"Eh, I spent most of the summer with her and, after our night out, I managed to get some guts."

"And I'm glad you did," added Dee with a smile.

Remus returned the smile with a wink.

"You two are absolutely disgusting," said Sirius with a wrinkle of his nose.

"You're just jealous, Pads," said Remus, laughing.

"Nooooooo! Definitely not," said Sirius.

"Whatever. Anyway, how's about we play a game? Who's up for exploding snaps?" asked Lily, changing the subject.

"ME!" said Melissa, happy that Lily had done so.

_A/N 2 Okay, so this was kind of a filler chapter. Just mainly to show you some of the interactions and relationships between them a bit more. Please review, and I'll update soon! Thanks for reading!_

_Love,_

_Alex_


	4. A Variety Of Games

**Ever As Before**

**By HoMeSlIcE4LiFe**

_**Summary: It always starts with a girl and a boy. Her name is Melissa. His name is Sirius. They're the best of friends. What else is there to it? **_

_A/N Wow guys! 4 reviews this time! We're improving! Yay! Thanks to: rubudu, globetrotter, honeymaid21, and Noriko Takahara for the reviews! You all get major hugs! Anyway, thanks for the input and encouragement! I hope you all enjoy!_

**Chapter Four: A Variety Of Games**

After an intense game of exploding snaps with the boys, Lily went up to her dorm happily, while Melissa and Dee followed reluctantly.

"We were just about to play poker, Lils. You know how I love beating them," whined Melissa.

Lily sighed, "Well, if you would quit flirting, then you could've played with them."

"Really, Lily? Flirting? That's just how me and the boys interact. If you're just jealous, because you think I'm flirting with James, then that's a different story…" teased Melissa.

Lily looked at her pointedly. "No, _Melly_, that's not what I mean, and you know that."

Melissa glared. "Don't call me that."

"Why?" laughed Dee. "Because only _Siri_ can call you that?"

Melissa was now rather unhappy. "Guys, just quit it. You don't understand, and you never will. So just stop," she snapped.

Lily and Dee felt guilty. It had always been difficult to get Melissa angry, and for some reason, this happened to do so extremely quickly.

"Sorry, Melissa," they sighed.

Melissa replied, "It's fine. Just don't do it again. I'm going to go and _flirt_ with the boys, now." She turned around, returning to the Common Room.

"When is she going to admit it?" asked Lily to Dee.

Dee shrugged. "Hell if I know. That girl is just as stubborn as he is. It could never happen," she sighed.

Lily smiled sadly. "I just want her to be happy. You know, kind of like you are now."

Dee put an arm around her shoulder. "Me too, Lily. Me too."

Downstairs, Melissa had just arrived in the Common Room when Sirius smiled cheekily and said, "Ah, so you've come back down to join us?"

"Yep," she snapped, sitting on the floor next to him.

The boys looked at each other confused. Sirius put and arm around her and leaned into her ear, whispering, "Hey, you okay?"

She sighed and shook off his arm. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Let's just play poker so I can be happy again, okay?"

Sirius nodded. "Alright then. Remus, it's your turn to start the betting…"

--

The following morning, Melissa found herself waking on the floor of the Common Room, being shaken awake. "What the hell?" she muttered.

"Melly, come on. Classes start in an hour, so you need to get up."

Slowly, she sat up and looked around. She saw the other Marauders still asleep. "None of us made it upstairs last night," he chuckled.

Melissa smiled back at him. "Yes, I suppose so. You gonna wake them up?"

Sirius grinned widely. "Nope. I think it'll be funny to see them scrambling around 5 minutes before classes…"

"Siri…" laughed Melissa.

"Go on, Melly, and get ready," encouraged Sirius.

"Alright," she chuckled. "See you in a bit."

Melissa trudged up the stairs and was welcomed by sleeping girls. She sighed deeply and grabbed the pillow from her bed. She walked down the line of beds, hitting each of the occupants in the head, chanting, "Up!" with each hit. Slowly the groaning girls sat up in their beds.

Melissa, Lily, and Dee's final roommate, Marlene McKinnon, made a beeline for the bathroom and locked the door shut. As Melissa heard the shower start, she was attacked with hugs from Lily and Dee.

"We're sorry, Melissa. We won't bother you about it anymore."

"Yeah, we won't. We promise. We'll leave you to your boys."

Melissa looked at the two girls clutching her and laughed at loud. "Guys, guys, it's okay. Now, quit--hugging--me …"

Lily and Dee immediately let go and looked at Melissa, pouting their lips and batting their eyes. Melissa rolled hers. "You're forgiven."

Lily and Dee smiled widely and made their ways toward the trunks to get dressed. Melissa followed suit.

--

Sirius sat there waiting for Melissa to come back down, shushing his fellows Gryffindors, so as not to wake his fellow Marauders. As each Gryffindor walked by, they smiled, knowing that this would be a humorous morning.

Melissa, Lily, and Dee all came down at once, with twenty minutes to spare before class. Melissa's smile grew wide when she saw Remus, James, and Peter still sleeping. "Nice job, Siri," she whispered as she walked to where he sat.

He smiled and gave a small bow. "How would you ladies like it if I accompanied you to the Great Hall?" he asked, continuing to whisper.

Dee laughed. "We'd be delighted," she said, playing along.

Once the four reached the Great Hall, they were immediately stopped by McGonagall as she handed them their schedules.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" cried Sirius, sitting at the Gryffindor table in his usual seat. He continued to scan the schedule, before slamming it down on the table. "Yep, all day… We have ALL DAY with the Slytherins, in every bloody class!"

"Aw, s'not so bad, Siri. I mean, it gives us more time to bug them in every way possible," suggested Melissa optimistically.

Sirius nodded. "You know, Melly, you're right. That's a great way to look at it." He looked back at his schedule. "Oh MERLIN! DOUBLE POTIONS! DOUBLE TRANSFIGURATION! AND ONLY ONE HOUR OF DEFENSE! MERLIN! GIVE US THE CRAP SCHEDULE ON THE FIRST DAY!" Sirius stood on top of the bench and shouted, "THANKS FOR THE _GREAT _SCHEDULE, MINNIE!"

McGonagall pursed her lips, smiling wryly, and said sarcastically, "It was my pleasure, Mr. Black," before turning back to handing out schedules.

Sirius sat down, and huffed loudly, angrily eating his breakfast as he muttered mean words of McGonagall. Melissa rubbed his back sympathetically.

It was at this time James, Remus, and Peter sat down at the table next to them. Sirius's day got even worse. "Who woke you two up?"

James grinned widely. "Marlene," he said.

Sirius dropped his fork. "Alas, the only person in this school who is holding a grudge against me. I should've known that witch would ruin my fun."

Remus laughed, "Well, Sirius, you did tell her that you would never date someone like her."

"Well, _yeah_. I mean, come on, she's like a Barbie doll. Who'd want to date one of those?" said Sirius, going back to eating.

"Okay, Sirius. Who _would_ you date, then?" asked James, dishing up his plate.

Sirius looked at him pointedly. Melissa's ears slightly perked, as she realized that _she_ didn't even know. "I'll know, when I see her," he muttered, more to himself than his friends.

_A/N So, how did everyone like it? I'd like to thank you all for reading and ask you all to let me know what you think! Next time: Classes :-)_

_Love!_

_Alex_


	5. Classes

**Ever As Before**

**By HoMeSlIcE4LiFe**

_**Summary: It always starts with a girl and a boy. Her name is Melissa. His name is Sirius. They're the best of friends. What else is there to it? **_

_A/N Hey all! Sorry this took really long. I got grounded for like 4 months. Long story as to why, but I will tell you one thing that's for sure, my parents are ridiculously insane, and my mother's the devil ;-) More updates from my other stories are coming! Check them out if you haven't. Thanks to Noriko Takahara, HPLUVR71495, and kyo's-kitten256 for reviewing! You guys are wonderful! And, now, please enjoy chapter 5! Don't forget to review!! Enjoy!_

**Chapter Five: Classes**

"Siri, you really need to stop pouting," said Melissa as she stirred their potion exactly three times.

"I can't help it," cried Sirius. "Being near them puts me in a bad mood."

"Maybe you should harness the energy you're putting into this mood, and turn it around into something productive," she suggested.

"And what would that be, _Mom_?" asked Sirius sarcastically.

"Well, there are several options. One of which is possibly helping me with today's assignment," Melissa said cheerfully as she added a powdery substance.

"I don't like that idea," Sirius replied simply.

Melissa sighed. "Well, then, maybe you could plan a prank for you and the boys to do next hour in Transfiguration."

Sirius's frown turned instantly into a smile. "Much better, Melly. Thanks. You're okay with the potion, right?" he asked.

"I always am, Siri. I don't know why I don't pick someone else as my partner ever. You never seem to do a thing," she stated.

"Ah, but that's what you enjoy most. You enjoy doing things your way, by yourself, efficiently. Otherwise, I'd just interfere in your perfection. And you can't stand that," said Sirius, flashing a wide smile at Melissa.

She returned it, saying, "You know me too well, Siri."

"Pretty much," he said, grabbing a piece of parchment and beginning to scribble on it furiously. He did not look up from the parchment for the rest of the class. He was so dedicated to it, that he continued to write on it as he walked to Transfiguration, throughout class (much to McGonagall's annoyance) and lunch, and halfway to their last class, Defense.

"Done!" he cried as they reached the stairwell.

"And what are you done with exactly?" asked Remus with a sigh. Secretly, he had been enjoying the rare silence.

"My birthday list," he said with a grin.

"I thought you were planning a prank?" asked Melissa.

"Well, I took that idea, and expanded on it. There's things on here the guys can do to the Slytherins that would provide me with a jolly birthday laugh," he said.

"Merlin, this'll be good. Care to give us an example?" asked James.

"Make it so the Slytherins can't sit on a thing. Chairs pull themselves out from underneath them, couches throw them into the air, benches knock them off, and, if they sit on the ground, their asses burn."

"A marvelous idea, Mr. Padfoot," said James with a smile and a nod.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Prongs. I must say, I am quite marvelous myself," he said fixing his crooked tie, and dusting off his shoulders.

Lily, Melissa, and Dee were listening with amusement, but couldn't help but giggle at Sirius. He looked at them with a puppy dog face.

"Do you young ladies not agree that I am marvelous?" he said with mock sadness.

"Oh no," said Lily through her laughter.

"We think you're very marvelous," said Melly.

"Very," agreed Dee with a giggle.

Sirius glared at them, turned to James, and began to "cry" on his shoulder, muttering of how he was underappreciated and that he knew, in his heart, that he was marvelous.

Finally, they had reached their Defense class. The seven of them entered, and took the seats in the back. Remus sat with Dee; Sirius with James; Lily with Melissa; and Peter alone on the end. Chatter ensued, but was quickly silenced by the wide opening of the doors behind them and the entrance of their new Defense teacher.

"Hello, class. I'm Professor Lissering, your new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. I graduated from Hogwarts two years ago from Hufflepuff, and am very glad that Dumbledore allowed me to teach this year, despite my young age. I recognize most of you, but for those of you that I don't, I will know you soon enough. Now, if you will all open your books and turn to page 3, I would like you to read a quick introductory page for the spell I will be teaching you today. When you finish, close your books, so I will know you are finished. Any questions? Right, then, let's begin."

With the end of his sentence, he looked to Lily and Melissa with a wide smile and a nod of the head. The class took out there books, and began reading, except for two of the boys.

"Why did the Professor just smile at Lily and Melissa like that?" asked James in a slight panic.

"I don't know, but it was creepy. Like a 'Hi, let me do things teachers shouldn't do with their students with you' smile. I don't like it," said Sirius, glaring at the new teacher.

"Me neither. I don't like_ him_. Not one bit, Padfoot."

"Well, what're we gonna do about it Prongs?"

"I'd say prank him, but he's a teacher, so it could get sticky."

"And when has that ever stopped us before?"

"Never."

"Never," agrees Sirius with a wide grin.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Black. Is it that difficult for you to read a rather simple and short page in less than 3 minutes that you must discuss each and every word of it for better understanding at age 17?" asked Professor Lissering sarcastically.

"No, Professor, we've already read the page and were discussing the theory in more depth," lied Sirius.

"Really? Well, then, why don't the two of you share your discussion with the class? Please, enlighten us."

"We were discussing how much happiness is enough for a Patronus. Whether it is based off the perspective of the party involved, or a universal system of what could possibly make someone happy. We came to the conclusion that it is based on perspective of what brings happiness, and how much happiness you've had previously in your life. For example, if you were locked in a box for years with only darkness, until one day a crack develops and light shines through. To us, seeing light isn't our happiest memory, but to this person, it's the happiest moment of their lifetime," finishes Sirius with a flare.

Lily leans over to Melissa and whispers, "That was not what they were discussing. How in the world does he come up with this crap so fast?"

Melissa shakes her head. "No clue, really. I must say, it's quite marvelous."

"Quite."

Professor Lissering was staring at the two boys, not believing a word they said, due to his knowledge of the boys' previous actions. His blank face turns to a smile. "An interesting concept, Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. I'm sure I'll enjoy reading about your ideas further in the essays you two will right for me on it. Two feet will suffice, I think," he said, turning and walking back to the front of the classroom.

Sirius turned to James. "Bullshit. He's got no reason to give us that," he said.

James shook his head angrily. "I do not like that teacher. He does this, and the thing with Melissa and Lily! Something's gotta be done, Padfoot. I don't care how nice he was back in school."

"Me neither, mate."

"So, what're we going to do?" asked James.

"We'll figure something out later," said Sirius, glaring at the Professor.

"Yeah, for Lily's and Melissa's sakes," said James, nodding to the girls, who were obliviously staring at the Professor.

Sirius followed his nod and saw them staring. He turned back to Professor Lissering, with a hard look on his face. "Yeah, mate. For them."

_A/N Oh la la!!! We've got some trouble a-brewing at Hogwarts! :-) Next time: Some quality time with the new teacher, and scheming boys! Thanks so much for reading! Now, please, drop a quick review to let me know what you think! Root beer floats to those of you who do!_

_Love!_

_Alex_


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